Tag: Strava Global Heatmaps

Vacation has put a damper onto my reading. I started reading a new book while sitting in YVR ten days ago waiting to fly away to Helsinki via Frankfurt, a book of less than 200 pages, and I am still slowing trudging through said book. I hope to finish it before I get home to Vancouver on June 2. I don’t feel too bad since I’m still quite a bit ahead of pace for my goal of 52 books read this year. I am also, however, cognizant of the fact that post-May vacation tends to be when my reading slows down, an occurrence I’d rather not repeat.

Morning in Helsinki. I really like the composition of this photo. I wish I could say it was on purpose.

I have done a lot of running, though. Normally I run four, maybe five days per week. Monday tends to be my regular day off. Friday is usually the other, then Tuesday or Thursday gets a run in or not. I took Monday off after racing the Helsinki Half, but I’ve run every other day since, hence a week with over 70 KM an no run 15 KM or farther.

Distance estimate on this one was way off. But the morning light is excellent, taken a couple hours before boarding the Tallink/Silja ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn, Estonia.

I’m convinced that running in a new place is the best way to see it, or at least survey where to explore later. I’ve managed to get lost a few times, and my run times and paces have been pretty slow. I complain about the lollygaggers on the Seawall back home. Now I’m the lollygagger.

Tallinn is known for its old stuff, but it also has some pretty great new stuff, some of which is on top of old stuff.

I usually start by checking the Strava Global Heatmap to get a sense where people run, then sometimes map a route just to get a sense of distance, then head out and see what happens. What happens is usually a lot of checking Google Maps along the way, and a plethora of mediocre photos. Sometimes a decent one or two fortuitously develops. Often I’ll see something and take a photo either to check out later, or if I’m out touristing, to run by on my next run.

Last Tallinn run along the Baltic Sea coast, here with the weird old Soviet Maarjamäe Memorial in the background.

Tomorrow we fly to Stockholm. It’s Monday no run day. I was last in Stockholm in October, 2016, which was the first time I took running stuff with me on vacation. I’m really looking forward to rerunning a couple spots around Södermalm, as well as exploring a few new routes. And maybe I’ll get some reading done too.